Decisions Made
by KnivesLoveRoses
Summary: Natalya only wants her brother. He is all she will ever want, as it has always been this way. But when she joins the criminal life just to be with him, she may regret her choices as the inescapable life consumes her world...Rated T for safety, future blood and violence, swearing, drugs, alcohol, etc. LietBel. Established RoChu, Spamano, UKSey, FraBelg and GerIta (& a few others)
1. Pitter, Patter

**_Journal Entry # 1 ~ Natalya Arlovskaya_**

My dear big brother has delighted me with some wonderful news. After months of waiting he and the rest (I do not know who they are yet) have agreed to let me join his section. It's just wonderful. I am so happy.

Work begins with my initiation tomorrow. I must miss school, and Katyusha…Katyusha doesn't understand. She can't understand why I'd join Brother.

I don't understand _her_. Why can't she agree with me? I bet if she had this opportunity, she'd be as happy as me.

I don't get why she's such a crybaby. She was crying when she found out about my choice.

She's so strange.

I must rest, because I must be up early tomorrow.

Goodnight, journal.

As she curled up into her blankets for the night, her thin walls exposed her sisters fears to her.

She could hear the tears pitter-patter against the floor.

It distracted her too much. So much so that she could not sleep. She slipped into her slippers, scuffling across the rough wood floors.

She knocked on the door, and the sobs ceased. The door opened a crack, eyes distant.

"Why are you crying?" Her tone of voice and expression was that of a very confused girl.

Katyusha sivered, resting her head on the doorframe, tears flowing again.

"It's bad enough Ivan got into such a business…but you…you're too young. Please, I beg you, Nat. Do not go tomorrow."

Natalya rolled her eyes. "You're silly. There is nothing wrong. I am with brother. I work for brother."

"Nat, I don't think you understand…what he really does."

"I understand just find. I know of everything he does. I am fine."

Natalya turned back around, not seeing her sister slump to the floor in tears.

**_Journal Entry # 2 ~ Natalya Arlovskaya_**

I am getting ready for the initiation.

I cannot stop squirming around my room with a happy smile.

I have dressed in the prettiest dress I own. I have made sure that my shoes are perfect. I have made sure not a hair on my head will stand. A bow in my hair, my nails perfect.

I look like a doll. Katyusha told me this, tears in her eyes.

I laughed.

She looked horrified. I never laugh. But I asked her why she looked so shocked. She said it was because I was happy to go to such a horrible thing as the initiation.

Horrible? How could it be horrible if brother is involved?

Katyusha asked once again. "How could you be so happy as to go to this? How?"

Her smile faded from her lips. "Why am I happy? I am happy because I am with big brother now. Big brother is who I want to follow. It is all I need."

"…You're following blindly. Even he knows that." She sighed, straightening Natalya's dress.

She turned on her heal, walking down the stairs.

"I know exactly what I'm doing."

She stormed out of the house, grabbing her coat.

"No you don't, Nat. You'll realize that one day."

The car ride was silent. Ivan was nervous for his little sister- a first for him. Even she, who seemed unbreakable, could break today. He broke. Everyone broke. But unlike so many, she was odd. He'd never met anyone willing to join-everyone was forced, even him. She was like some lost puppy, looking for someone to belong to. And that 'someone' has always been him, for some reason. He didn't understand the way her mind worked. Who could?

"You don't have to go through with this." Ivan said, eyes focused on the road.

"Why would I not want to?"

He shut his eyes. "You're not going to like it."

"I don't believe you."

"Well start."

The building was crowded. Everyone must come to the initiation. Everyone. This was the rule. Get a good look at the fresh meat. You want the new ones before anyone else can. But Natalya seemed to be untouchable. Nobody wanted to steal her over to their unit. This pleased her.

Natalya's eyes scanned the crowd for faces. She pointed out a few, but names were impossible for her to come up with. For some reason, it was hard to swallow.

_'Nyet. I am not nervous.'_ She lied to herself. _'I cannot worry about silly things like this.'_

The crowd hushed. They made way for Ivan, Natalya in tow. Along the way, her brother pulled three people down from the crowd.

She recognized them, but names failed her again.

One took her hand. She glared at him.

"Believe me, you're going to appreciate it." He said, walking her out past everyone.

"I don't believe you. Where is my brother?"

The person stayed quiet.

"Brother. Where is brother?"

"Getting ready. If you want to make an impression I suggest you don't react."

"React?"

He sighed. "You'll find out. But you've already interested them. Nobody joins willingly. You're an exception. You might regret it."

"Regret is not something I have."

He smirked. "You're my age. I've never been that cocky."

"I am not you."

"True. But Ms. Natalya, you can always turn back. You can turn back up until the initiation. Nobody expects you to stay."

"I am not going back."

"You're strange. I'm afraid, it's not in a good way, Ms. Natalya."

She tilted her head slightly. "How do you know my name?"

He paused. "Oh. Your brother and the three of us, we're helpers to his unit, have been deciding whether or not to grant you access to the initiation. We decided yes, majority rule, three to one."

She seemed offended. Anger burned in her eyes. "One? Who was that one?"

"That was me, I'm afraid. Don't think any less of me because I didn't want you to join. I'm only worried for you."

"I don't hate you. Not yet. I don't like you though."

"Not many people do."

She looked around. Her brother was still nowhere in sight. "What is your name?"

"Toris." He then turned to the other two. "The shorter one is Raivis; he's thirteen. The other is Eduard; he's fifteen. A little younger than your brother."

The two glanced at her, but looked back down at their feet.

She gave a light nod. She wanted nothing to do with these people. They weren't what she wanted. Not _who_ she wanted. Her brother was the only one who she wanted. The others were just roadblocks.

After some time, Ivan approached. The three around her became tense. She smirked.

The silver of the blade caught her eye, but she didn't wince or turn away. She had been fascinated by blades and knives and tools of death for some time now. It only peaked her curiosity. Her smirk became wilder.

Ivan took her wrist.

"You have five seconds to turn back, Natalya." He said.

"I do not need five. I am fine."

"I'm still giving them to you."

He put the blade on her palm as fair warning.

"Please. Five."

"Nyet."

"Four."

"Three. Natalya…"

"Nyet!"

"Two."

"One."

He let out a bitter sigh. The blade cut across her palm quickly.

She showed no expression, and the crowd hushed again. Awe was the word to describe it. The only word.

Out of sight, she dug her nails into Toris' hand. Ivan and Toris were the only ones to notice it.

He pointed the base of the dagger to her. "It's yours now. You're a part of my wing. We're leaving for my base now. You will go on your first assignment tomorrow. You're missing another day. Lucky you." He teased.

She said nothing, only giving a light nod.

Toris wrapped her hand on the way with a gauze, her face turning a light pink.

"If you need to cry now, you can. Nobody can see you but us." he said into her ear quietly.

As if on cue, tears slipped from her eyes, but her face didn't change. He taped up the ends of the gauze, and she put her hands to her sides sullenly.

And so it began.

_**A/N:**_

_Welcome to another crappy fic by yours truly! First story since the username change! First fic in a long time..._

_I felt as though I needed to post something. I guess I must actually write more for this story, even though I have another chapter. It's my first posted Hetalia fan fiction, although I wish it wasn't. I have this wonderful story that I really want to post, but I am unable to at this time._

_If you're a bit confused by Ivan's job, it's pretty much like a gang with tiny branches of gangs. It's so confusing because everything makes more sense in my head than it is in words._

_**Names:  
**__Natalya- Belarus  
Katyusha- Ukraine  
Ivan- Russia  
Toris- Lithuania  
Raivis- Latvia  
Eduard- Estonia_


	2. Sales

_**A/N:** Okay. Winter break has started, my school is no longer under threat to be shot at (I might explain that at the end), the world didn't end, I have HetaOni withdrawal and I need to post so people aren't waiting until 2013..._

_There is one thing I will need to add about the story before the chapter beings, though.  
_

_Plenty of characters **will** be making appearances, for better or for worse, and I think I need to establish which 'gangs' are which. In no way, at all, does this probably happen in real life. Again, if things don't make sense, that's because they only make sense in my mind... sorry about that! I'll try to make it easier to understand. If you don't really care and just want to read, go ahead, but you might not know who I'm talking about...  
_

_**Смерть:  
**Ivan Braginsky- Leader, confidential missions (solo)  
Toris Laurinaitis (I apologize in advance if I even swtich between Lorinaitis and Laurinaitis...)- Confidential missions (solo, duet)  
Raivis Galante- Spy  
Eduard Von Bock- Sales, strategy, second in command  
Natalya Arlovskaya- Confidential missions (solo, duet)  
_

_**Demonio Oscuro:  
**Antonio Carriedo (because I don't feel like typing out Fernandez, too...XD)- Leader, confidential missions (solo, duet), sales  
Lovino Vargas-Confidential missions (solo, duet), second in command  
Feliciano Vargas-__ Spy, confidential missions (solo)_  
_Bella Maes-_ _Strategy, confidential missions (solo), spy_

_**Rubinkristalle:  
**Ludwig Beilschmidt-_ _Leader, confedential missions (solo)  
Gilbert Beilschmidt- Second in command, confidential missions (solo, duet), strategy  
Elizaveta Hedervary- Confidential missions (solo, duet), spy, sales  
Roderich Edelstein- Sales, strategy, spy  
Vash Zwingli- Confidential missions (solo)  
_

_**龍火:**_  
_Yao Wang- Leader, confidential missions (solo), strategy  
Kiku Honda- Second in command, confidential missions (solo), sales, spy  
Kaoru Wang- Spy, confidential missions (solo, duet)  
Yong Soo Im- Spy, confidential missions (solo, duet)  
_

_**Norden (bwahahahaha I'm so lazy with names. It's payback for the Nordics having such difficult-to-type names. I'm looking at you, Denmark, Sweden and Finland...):  
**Matthias Køhler- Leader, confidential missions (solo, duet), strategy  
Berwald Oxensteirna- Second in command, confidential missions (solo)  
Lukas Bondevik- Confidential missions (solo, duet), spy  
Emil Steilsson- Sales, Confidential missions (solo, duet)  
Tino Vainamoinen- Confidential missions (solo, duet), spy (I have a seperate list of how many people they have 'disposed' of. What makes me laugh is that Tino and Michelle have killed more people than Ivan. (The person who has killed the most, for whatever reason, is Lukas) XD)  
_

_**Blaze (as you can see, I half-assed everything after Norden):  
**Arthur Kirkland- Leader, confidential missions (solo), strategy, spy  
Alfred F. Jones- Second in command, confedential missions (solo), spy  
Francis Bonnefoy- Confidential missions (solo, duet), spy  
Matthew Williams- Sales, confidential missions (duet)  
Michelle Laroche- Spy, confidential missions (solo, duet)  
_

_The names-for-countries thing will be at the bottom... let's begin!  
_

* * *

"Pull her up a chair, Raivis." Ivan told the small boy.

Raivis looked around. "There aren't any extras…"

"Then get her one. Natalya, let me see your dagger."

He was clearly upset.

Raivis left the room without any questions. Natalya handed it to him with her right hand. Her good hand.

He glanced up at her, turning the dagger over between his hands. "I wish I wasn't responsible for that cut. Katyusha will hate me."

"I won't let her see it." Natalya promised.

"That doesn't matter. She already knows- but not that I was the one to do it."

"Then I won't tell her."

He frowned, but said nothing. He put a case over the blade of the dagger. "You can carry this on your solo missions if you want, but hardly anyone uses them. Usually we have assigned weapons. But if we go on a group mission, you can't take it. We can't have people know more than one of us is a part of such a group. It's engraved with the logo. Almost everyone would recognize it, especially from other organizations who know of my wing."

"I understand."

"We're working our way up to be on the top of the wings. But it's going slowly because of lack of staff." Eduard said, connecting a computer to a projector. "We're not last anymore, but we're far behind. You joining will benefit us."

She said nothing.

Raivis brought in a chair, putting it next to the one Toris was in. She sighed, but sat anyway.

Eduard cut the silence. "I wasn't the first to be initiated to Mr. Braginsky's wing **(1)**," He started, glancing at Toris. "In fact, it's only been a few months. But I'm second in command here, for the time being, and I am in charge of sales and strategy. Almost all of the missions you go on, I'm in charge of. All the money made from deals I keep track of."

She nodded, glancing at her brother. He looked at the starting screen for the laptop. Not even a glance in her direction- it made anger bubble inside of her.

"Raivis is in charge of spy missions because he's small and quiet." Ivan said. "Toris is in charge of confidential missions. As will you, Natalya. However you're my hit-man, per say. Toris goes on solo missions. By the time you're used to things, you will do dual missions. Solo missions are rare in this organization now, anyways. Which is just another reason we're so far behind."

"Another important one is that we're still in high school. We can't take half the missions put out. Raivis is in middle school, so he rarely shows up. Which is why he has less responsibility." Eduard added.

"I'm only here because I faked being sick and got a ride from Eduard." Raivis muttered, a shaky smile on his face. "I'm going to fake again tomorrow."

"He's the youngest in the whole building. People respected Ivan for that. Getting younger people is both good, and bad."

"Bad?"

"They can die, and it's a tragedy. When the younger ones die, the whole business suffers. The families catch on, we have to move, people have to quit, which is a hell of a process, stuff like that. It's good because they're harder to suspect and accuse of crimes." Toris explained.

"So if one of us dies, it'll affect everyone."

"Exactly. They find us strange because we're so young. Not a soul in our wing is old enough to actually live on their own, and we have to commute pretty far out."

Ivan and Natalya fell silent.

"Well…you know what I meant. Actually drop everyone and everything to come and live out here."

"We know. Start the update already, would you?" Ivan snapped.

Eduard nodded, starting the update. Apparently, everyone had grown used to Ivan getting angered so easily.

It was a presentation, which looked as though a lot of work had been put into its design. She felt the need to applaud it, but it wasn't something she'd actually ever do.

Eduard began. Natalya felt oddly out of place, as if she'd walked into the wrong room...

"Sales are down. Mostly because of the warehouse looting that caused _смерть, Demonio Oscuro, Rubinkristalle_ and_龍火_ suffered major losses of alcoholic drinks which are popularly sold through our black markets. The four of us think it was set up by _Norden_ or _Blaze_, since neither suffered losses. _Norden_ is also in the lead of groups in our age range, and they might be our culprits, since they hang onto that title so dearly."

A list appeared, showing their placement. On the list, _смерть_ was, in fact, not last. Not high up, but not last. It put a smile of Ivan's face. But this was only one list of many.

"We're in the same spot in drug sales as last week, but _Demonio Oscuro_ surpassed _Blaze_. _Rubinkristalle_ has decided to withdraw from the drug market for the time being until they can figure out a strategy for more customers.

"Our tobacco sales have risen. We surpassed _Norden_, and are close to surpassing _Blaze_. However _Demonio Oscuro_ still hold a strong lead that will be hard to top.

"Gun and ammunition sales have risen, too. We are now second, a close second with _Blaze_. _Rubinkristalle_ has fallen greatly, so much so they may drop to sixth, and they aren't expected to recover for at least a month."

Ivan's smile became sinister.

Natalya felt the room wash in cold and silence.

Suddenly rapid beating on the door made everyone jump. Raivis opened it, but nobody moved besides him. Not even Eduard, who was standing in the light of the projector.

"Mr. Braginsky, somebody outside would like to speak with you." Raivis spoke in a timid voice. Natalya could not see who Raivis had spoken to.

Ivan sighed. "Send them in, then."

"Mr. Braginsky, the person would like to talk to you privately."

* * *

_***~*Just noticed I hate a little (1) in there. I better explain that, then, huh?*~*  
**_

(1): I decided who was initiated first for the Baltics on who left the Soviet Union first. Lithuania was first, Latvia, then Estonia, roughly. To make it even easier to have this make sense, Belarus was one of the last to leave, making her now one of the last to join Russia's wing. Since Ukraine doesn't take part in Russia's business in this story, she doesn't get placed, obviously. (She'd be after Estonia, before Belarus if she were)

_**Okay, so this chapter was originally a lot longer. You actually got to see who needed to talk to Ivan, but I haven't finished their conversation yet so I thought it was pointless to add it in right now. It'll be in Chapter Three, promise!**_

_The 'school getting shot' thing was because somebody threatened to come to one of three select high schools in my district, pull the fire alarm, get everyone outside and shoot us all. Needless to say, not many people went to school. But I did, I didn't die, I learned how to make silver in chemistry and I had a fricken awesome day._

_Back to the story.  
_

_Thank you to my reviewers! I love reviewers and story stalkers/lurkers (I'm a story stalker/lurker- I know they exist!)  
_

_**From the list, who's who...  
**Antonio- Spain  
Lovino- Romano  
Feliciano- Italy  
Bella- Belgium  
Ludwig- Germany  
Gilbert- Prussia  
Elizaveta- Hungary  
Roderich- Austria  
Vash- Switzerland  
Yao- China  
Kiku- Japan  
Kaoru- Hong Kong (Yeah, lame, i know... I've just been using that name for him for a long time)  
Yong Soo- S. Korea (I'm very picky about the Koreas... South Korea is NOT North Korea...)  
Matthias- Denmark  
Berwald- Sweden  
Lukas- Norway  
Emil- Iceland  
Tino- Finland  
Arthur- England  
Alfred- America  
Francis- France (I really hope that one, out of all of these, was obvious)  
Matthew- Canada  
Michelle- Seychelles  
_

_I may, or may not, have the next chapter up before 2013. I probably will, but I make NO promises. So in that sense, happy early New Years?  
_


	3. Cigarettes and Secrets

_**Guys, guys! I updated two chapters in one day. I hate when I spoil stories for myself by accidentally reading ahead, so don't be like me, and go read Chapter Two if you haven't already!**_

* * *

"Congratulations on the new member. She's your sister, right?" he said, walking the halls with a cigarette between his fingers. Ivan hated the smell, but couldn't ever tell the man to stop. It'd be pointless and stupid.

"Yes."

He bit his lip. "I'm sorry. Since we're not enemies in this business, my men will protect yours. That includes her, of course."

"I don't think she needs it, but thank you, Mr. Wang."

He shook his head, a smile on his face, releasing a puff of smoke. "For the hundredth time, Ivan, it's Yao. Only underlings call me that. You're on my level."

"By some luck."

He put the cigarette out on the wall, letting it fall to the floor. It made no difference- the floor was littered with them. "You're in charge because you started the group. The leader-based-on-disposals is hardly ever used."

"You use it."

He smirked. "Well, that's because I know Kiku wouldn't try to surpass me. He doesn't want to run this hell, Ivan. Neither do I, actually, but once you're in, you can't get out." He pulled out another cigarette, lit it, and began to smoke. "So glad _that bastard_ is dead, so he can't force any kids to do this anymore."

"I forced Toris. If I went by your rules, he'd be in charge."

"So? He doesn't have the senses to run such an intricate and screwed up business. He's a good killer, one of the best, but he would melt under pressure of ordering people around and hiding stashes from the cops. Now, your sister... you may have to watch out for her."

He shook his head. "She's obsessed with me. She only wants to follow me, not to beat me."

He shrugged. "She's a strange one, but she'll help your wing a lot. Don't ignore her, even if you want to, and I _know_ you want to. She can always be recruited by other wings and leave. It might shock you how quickly she could change. Especially _Blaze_. They're trying to recruit. The second in command has his eye on her already."

"I don't think that she'd leave."

Yao release a breath, smoke going into Ivan's face. Yao mustered a small apologetic look, but went back to speaking. "You never know. _Rubinkristalle _lost Maes awfully quickly, and she was devoted heart and soul to them. Carriedo is a charmer. He's gone after Laroche and Hedervary, since he thinks the girls are easy pickings. Watch out for Carriedo, Jones and Beilschmidt... Bonnefoy, too... They're going to try and get her." His eyebrows became worried. "Don't tell anyone that I told you, but Bondevik is secretly trying to get Galante and Von Bock. If that happens, you're sunk. He's already tried with my brother because he and his brother are seeing each other. I talked some sense into Kaoru, but no promises for your two."

"I thought relationships were supposed to be secret?"

Yao shrugged. "Well they didn't do a very good job of it if Bondevik knows. We're a secret, though, you and me." Yao gave a gentle smile, and then lost it as quickly as it came. "Dating is dangerous, and siblings are stupid. Especially when it's not in your wing and you can't do crap."

"Yeah."

Yao smiled. "Well I hope the mission goes well for you tomorrow. We're actually not going to try very much, we're just going to look around and watch out for your wing. This isn't a man who wants the drugs, it's about the guns. We're last place in that. It's your wing and _Blaze_ that really need to catch this guy. But if it were about drugs, Ivan, I wouldn't be your ally."

"The next mission after that is. So you'll try to stab our backs then, huh?"

"No." Yao glared, folding his arms. "We just won't be looking out for you. We have to keep something, and we're going to keep the drugs. We don't care about any other sales, Ivan. We'll help you through anything else, even give you our profits if you're down. But drugs…no. You're not getting help on that. In that unit we have more money than any of the wings combined through all the sales we can make. We're only third because of the fire. It was sabotage. And, by the way, it wasn't_ Norden_, so _Blaze_ is your enemy right now."

"They always have been." Ivan shrugged, not too surprised by that fact. "But how do you know it wasn't _Norden_, exactly?"

"If it were _Norden_, they wouldn't attack us or _Rubinkristalle_. Your, maybe. _Demonio Oscuro_, possibly. The only reason _Blaze_ was unable to attack _Norden_ was because Køhler and Oxensteirna were there picking up supplies for a shipment. _Blaze_ didn't try and burn their stash, but for good reasons. If they had, some _Blaze_ members may be missing. Or dead. Or both."

"Blaze isn't as strong as I thought…"

"They're plenty strong. If they'd destroyed _Norden_'s supply, they'd be outright stupid. The reason they get their way because of gun sales. They're actually pretty strong when it comes to their solo and duet missions. 22 disposals."

"We have seven." Ivan sighed. "That's rather depressing."

"Not really. You have a better reputation, so the people that buy from you don't have to worry about getting shot if a deal goes south."

Ivan shrugged, now leaning against the wall. "I guess you have a point."

"Of course I do!" he said, huffing out a cloud of smoke. "I'm practically in the same boat with you. We've got nineteen. Fourth place is a bitter place to be in."

Footsteps pattered down the hallway. Yao smashed the cigarette into the wall, and acted as if he hadn't just been smoking.

"Why does it matter if you're smoking?" Ivan whispered.

"If it's somebody from _Blaze_, I'm screwed. I stole about five packs of their cigarettes."

Ivan chuckled.

Two people walked down the hallway, and stopped dead after seeing Yao and Ivan. Yao's face turned a very pale white, a string of curses rolling through his head as he discretely drove the cigarette into the floor.

"Just the person I wanted to see." One spoke.

Ivan still laughed, amused by Yao's troubled face.

"What's so funny, aru?!" Yao snapped quietly at Ivan.

"Do I smell cigarettes?" they asked.

"_Shit..._" Yao cursed.

"That _is_ quite the nasty habit you have, Wang."

"You're one to talk!" Yao snapped. "At least they don't make me act like an idiot like you with alcohol!"

"You're too defensive for your own good." Arthur sighed. "I only wanted to wish Braginsky good luck with his new subordinate on the mission tomorrow."

Ivan laughed again as Yao hit his forehead lightly.

"I don't get you people." He said, tilting his head slightly.

As Yao regained a little dignity, he glared at him. "I highly doubt 'luck' is what you meant."

"I'd have to agree with you on that. We'll most likely be the ones to dispose of that pesky man tomorrow, and you'll just be trailing even more. Just don't make it boring for us, alright?"

Ivan returned to the room, and fell heavily into his desk chair. Eduard flinched at the heavy sound.

"May I ask what that was all about?" Toris asked.

"No."

"Alright then."

Toris really wasn't in a mood to hear about Ivan's complaints, though, so he was glad the conversation ended there.

"We're done with the briefing, Eduard. We need a strategy so we can cute _Blaze_'s ego down and get out disposal rate up."

He nodded lightly. "I'll go and get the plan book from my car." he said with a slightly peeved tone.

* * *

_**Wow. Am I seriously updating before 2013?! And on the same date as Chapter Two?!  
OH MEIN GOTT.**_

_I feel so awesome because I actually wrote a chapter without making it sound like crap~!  
_

_Hmm... so I guess I should ask you guys who you'd like to see next? As long as it's a character that I know will be in the story, I'll come up with something since I don't know if I should start with a Natalya POV (who I just realized wasn't in this chapter) or a totally different one...  
_

_...And I really need to incorporate Poland into this story somehow. I need my Feliks!... *is getting ideas*  
_

_*creepy smile*  
_

_Buh-bye for now, Hetalians ^-^  
_


	4. Before We Go

**A/N: Welcome to chapter four. Glad you've read this far. Information will be at the bottom so you can skip my rants if you want.**

**This might be a longer chapter, so... lets begin, yes?**

* * *

If it were not for the heavy knocking on her bedroom door, she would have stayed snug and warm in her blankets for another two hours. Four in the morning wake-up calls were not her cup of tea, but she got up and answered them.

Expecting Ivan or Katyusha, she hadn't gotten herself into a suitable state. Her siblings were used to her tired self answering them with tangled hair and a makeup-less face. So since it was Toris, she nearly shut the door in a hurry, but he caught it, as if he expected as much.

"Your brother told me to wake you."

"What are you doing in my house?" she hissed, still trying to shut the door.

"We're _all_ here. We're getting ready for a meeting. You better get ready, the other group can't wait forever."

Her eyes widened. "Other group?!"

He let go of the door, ignoring her question. "Please hurry though. We need to get going."

**THE BEST LINEBREAK IN THE WORLD  
**

He played it off incredibly well, his nonchalant reaction to having to wake the stubborn sister of his boss, but internally he was a nervous and stuttering mess. That became obvious as soon as the door closed. He walked back down the staircase, walking to the kitchen where Ivan's elder sister made a breakfast for them. Only two members of Yao's group had shown up, probably because the others had gotten lost. This gave Natalya time, though, to dress and make herself look presentable to them. Surely it was probably not for them, it was probably for her brother.

Yao was clearly the leader of the group, and this was never disputed within his team. He had arrived before Toris, which surprised him. But it wasn't really surprising, he and Ivan had known each other for years, and for all Toris knew, he might even live down the street.

Kiku was the second in command. Nobody questioned his position either. He was less compliant to help _Смерть_, but he really didn't have a choice in that. He rarely spoke around _Смерть_ members, or really any other team. If he spoke today, it would be the first time Toris would hear his voice.

_龍火_ had always been there to help _Смерть_ when push came to shove, and vice versa. None of the other teams could even equal the level of respect the two had for each other, when it seemed from the outside they would hate each other for almost everything. They were the only ones that had a long-standing alliance.

Toris was just worried that it would break. He was aware of Yao and Ivan's relationship, after all. But he doubted that even that would break it. They were the underdogs of this organization and age group, and had to help each other rise to the top.

Awaking Toris from his thoughts was a rapid knocking on the door, and Yao jumped to get it before anyone even had a second to respond. The door opened, a few words were exchanged, and then the arguing began.

Toris smiled slightly in amusement. Even if it wasn't in English, the scolding tone in Yao's voice was evident. And then there was yelling. Kiku silently got up, probably to be the peacemaker. He was probably used to it, too.

None of the _Смерть_ members tried to help the situation. They couldn't if they wanted to. Toris had tried once, and he was screamed at in Chinese. He still had no idea what Yao had said, but it was probably offensive.

Katyusha didn't flinch as she continued to cook. Meetings in this kitchen were often, with or without _龍火_ being there. She was used to random arguments and shouting, and didn't really mind anymore.

Eventually, the shouting match died down, and the four members made their way back into the kitchen.

"Once your sister comes down, we can start, correct?"

"Da. I do not understand what is keeping her. You _did_ wake her, right, Toris?"

"Yes."

He gave a half nod before sitting at the table, opposite from Yao. The second in command members of each team sat in the middle, picking the chair closest to their boss. The other members stood on their respective sides, and only now did Toris realize that they had a one member advantage to them. But surely that wouldn't really cause problems since Raivis and Eduard didn't actively participate in missions. So in some way, they now were only one below the opposite team.

**THE BEST LINEBREAK IN THE WORLD  
**

She finished getting ready in a matter of thirty minutes- which wasn't long at all when you thought about the normal amount of time she took.

She walked down the stairs in a dress deemed casual (but it was nothing of the sort), dark tights and a tight bow tucking her hair back. She took her place next to Toris, but was closer to Raivis, which made the small boy more nervous than he was already. But she didn't really care.

"So we can begin now?" Yao asked, his voice slightly bothered. Natalya didn't think that the tone was aimed at her, but it was, and everyone else noticed.

"Yes. Kat, could you leave the room?"

Katyusha nodded, setting the large plate of food down at the table, shutting the door and going elsewhere in the home. Natalya noticed one of the boys on the other side of the room jump at the chance for food, but the other held the collar of his shirt with no outward reaction. He leaned in to say something, but it clearly wasn't in English or Russian, since she could read lips well.

"Alright. So has your team planned what you're doing?"

"Yes. We're hoping that the other teams aren't going to be as prepared because it's a casual setting." Ivan said. There was doubt in his voice.

However, Yao nodded. "_Nobody_ is taking this missions seriously except for all of us and _Blaze_. But _Blaze_ might try and manipulate other teams and get them on their side. I doubt that will happen, however, with their latest attack. And we already know _Norden_ isn't siding with anyone this mission, according to my brother, of course."

"Well do you trust _Norden_? That will decide whether the information is reliable." Eduard spoke.

"For the most part. I trust everyone but their leader." Yao admitted. "But that's just one less group we have to care about right now. One of the members of _Demonio Oscuro _is apparently ill. They're not taking part in this mission. Two groups down."

"_Rubinkristalle_?"

"No, they're going. But I have no idea whether or not they're going to try and assassinate the target. However, they're no ally of _Blaze_. We are on neutral grounds with them, negative grounds with you. This might pose a threat. However... I think the destruction of their alcohol and new hate for _Blaze_ and will surpass that of the hate they hold on you."

"So we really only need to worry about _Blaze_?"

"Pretty much. They're pretty tough, third place for the total killings they've supplied, but they're unreliable and constantly unprepared. And with that Jones character..." Yao sighed. "Well, it will either ruin their plan or ours if he, or any of them, mess up."

**THE BEST LINEBREAK IN THE WORLD  
**

With a meal in their system and a plan in their heads, they were off. It was rather early to be leaving for a mall- at six in the morning they'd be much too suspicious. So two cars filled with teenagers drove aimlessly around the outer city. Even the drive over hadn't been very time consuming- they should have left during rush hour. But they'd already arrived. Barely any cars. Now it was even _more_ suspicious.

"It's still better than school..." Yong Soo said, leaning against Yao's car.

"Get off my car." He grumbled. "You were late so you don't get to have a nice day here. You'll wish you were in school."

"How come you're not punishing Kaoru, then? He was late too!" he whined.

"You were driving. So you were the problem."

Toris tried to ignore the fight, but it was nearly impossible since they were so close this time.

Ivan just stood smiling, amused by the arguing.

Kiku was rather indifferent, as was Kaoru.

Eduard and Raivis conversed about something, possibly about the mission, but most likely not.

Natalya stayed in the car, earbuds jammed in her ears. He would love to strike up a conversation with her, but he'd probably upset her enough for one day, what, with waking her up so early and all.

Things settled down, and Kiku spoke up. Everyone turned to hear what he had to say, as if it were a groundbreaking moment.

"...There is a game being released today. We could surely use that as an excuse to come."

Yao laughed. "Maybe it will pass with the rest of you, but Ivan, his sister and I don't look like the sort to be interested in that. Because we're not." Of course he was guessing on Natalya, but he was probably right.

Kiku shrugged. "It was just an idea."

"No, we could make that work." Toris said. "I know I'm not interested in games like that, but the people that are could play it off well. We can just say we tagged along to get out of school."

Yao shrugged. "It's a decent lie. Luckily I never go to this mall, nor does anyone else I think. So nobody would be able to see the lies through. But we need you and either Ivan or Natalya to go with. It's _your_ wing that needs this, not mine."

"You're taking Natalya." Ivan ordered. "The rest of us will be backup. Raivis and Eduard will be in the store if something goes wrong, along with a few of Yao's people."

"I'll be in there with Kiku. Yong Soo can go to the store next to it, and Kaoru... Kaoru can go with him, I guess."

"And now we wait..." Toris sighed.

* * *

**A/N:**

**UGh, sorry for the sucky ending. I tried to add the actual mission in the chapter but I can't think of how it'll sound if I just put it in this one. So I'll write it out and add it soon, hopefully...  
**

**Nordics will appear chapter six, most likely, for the person who wanted them ^-^. I guess the chapters following it will look into the other groups, but follow the story to the best of my ability. I guess I should've described them all before getting into this chapter and the chapters before... but oh well. And if it were nagging me enough, "Always With You...Nordic Five!" came up on my iPod while writing this chapter... it's like it's telling me I should've put them in there... D:  
**

**I've been severely neglecting this story, writing other ones and being addicted to my iPhone (which is pretty much all I got for Christmas. I don't know why I got it, but I'm pleased. I would've been happier with manga and anime and history books, but I'm not complaining) and transferring songs to said device...**

**THE BEST LINEBREAK IN THE WORLD****  
**

**As for the story, I might not update again until the eleventh because I'm in school again come the seventh. Finals are coming up, I'm at risk of dropping letter grades because of them... ugh. Finals ruin my life. My leisure years are almost over with, because I decided I'm gonna be more responsible in my Junior year, which is coming up fast O_O. Where did my life go? I need to like... plan for college... and go to drivers ed (ugh. That's my summer. UGH. I don't want to drive because I'm afraid I'll die. I'm afraid of everything.) And I'm so worried that my German teacher isn't coming back next year. Why do all my favorite teachers always have to leave. I hope she stays, she made the language better to learn... stupid school district being so far in debt... stupid peers for purposely getting her in trouble... OTL... I'm gonna fail German without her...**

**Sorry for boring you guys with my life problems. Next chapter sooner or later, latest would be the thirteenth... so... keep your eyes open?**


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